28 | JUNE 17 • 2021 

OUR LEGAL COMMUNITY

T

he Jewish Bar 
Association of Michigan 
(JBAM) honored two 
prominent members of the 
state’s legal community as well 
as two legal stars of the future at 
its annual awards night held on 
Zoom on May 25.
Michigan’s Attorney 
General Dana Nessel received 
JBAM’s inaugural Ruth Bader 
Ginsburg Champion of Justice 
Award, and retired longtime 
U.S. District Judge Avern Cohn 
received JBAM’s first Lifetime 
Achievement Award.
In accepting her award, the 
attorney general praised the 
empowering legacy of the late 
U.S. Supreme Court Justice 
Ginsburg. Nessel spoke of her 
own clients’ Supreme Court case 
DeBoer v. Snyder in 2015 and said 
the highlight of her career was 
sitting in the Supreme Court 
across from Justice Ginsburg as 
the same-sex marriage case was 
being argued. Nessel immedi-
ately afterward proposed to her 
wife on the steps of the court. 
The court eventually ruled 5-4 
to legalize same-sex marriage in 
the U.S. with Justice Ginsburg 
part of the majority. Nessel dis-
plays a painting of Ginsburg in 
her house.
Nessel, elected in 2018, said she is the highest-elected Jewish 
official in Michigan history, “and the importance of that is not lost 
on me.
” She spoke of the Jewish heritage of protecting others, “not 
just other Jews, but people of all races, heritages, national ori-
gins, etc., etc. It’s so important that we be staunch defenders of 
equal rights for all people, and that’s what I’ve tried to be.”
Judge Cohn was not able to attend the event, but his biographer, 
journalist-author Jack Lessenberry delivered the judge’s prepared 

remarks. The judge stressed the 
importance of the Jewish concept 
of empathy as demonstrated by 
his Jewish predecessors in his 
District Court and the Jewish 
justices who have served on 
the U.S. Supreme Court. Thus, 
Cohn said, he hoped his lifetime 
achievement award would attest 
to him being “a Jewish judge, 
not just a judge who happened 
to be Jewish.
” Cohn’s biography 
Thinking About “The Other Fella”: 
Avern Cohn’s Life and the Law is 
scheduled to be released this fall.
JBAM Vice President 
Andrew Cohen presented 
$1,500 scholarships in memory 
of his father, attorney Charles 
J. Cohen, to two outstanding 
Jewish law students, Jessica 
Davidova of Wayne State 
University and Charles Yarber 
of the University of Detroit-
Mercy. Cohen said that both 
awardees “demonstrated a 
commitment to their legal edu-
cation while improving their 
community.”
“The future of the Jewish 
legal community in Michigan is 
bright,” he added. 
At the event, JBAM Past 
President Rachel Serman greet-
ed attorneys and community 
members. JBAM President Ellie Mosko welcomed Attorney 
General Nessel, and board member Austin Hirschhorn 
introduced the award to Judge Cohn. Board member Nargiz 
Nesimova moderated a Q&A session.
The Jewish Bar Association of Michigan provides education, 
resources, mentorship and camaraderie for lawyers and legal 
support to the wider community. To discover more about JBAM 
or to contribute to the Charles J. Cohen Scholarship Fund, visit 
jewishbar.org. 

Jewish Bar Association of Michigan’s award night highlights legal leaders.

Jewish Attorneys 
Honor Their Own

DAVID SACHS ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Jessica Davidova
Charles Yarber

Rachel Serman
Nargiz Nesimova

Dana Nessel
Avern Cohn

Andrew Cohen

Ellie Mosko

Austin Hirschhorn

